You get TWO PILLS IN THE MORNING and then you'll be nice and calm... all day long. 
- ― Birch (as a Taken), Episode 4: The Truth
Nurse Birch is a minor character and enemy appearing on Alan Wake. He worked as male nurse at the Cauldron Lake Lodge, under Dr. Emil Hartman, and helped to deal with unruly patients.
Appearance[]
Birch is a well-built, caucasian man with grey hair. He wears a white, long sleeved shirt, turquoise pants, with a black belt, and dark brown shoes. He also carries a pen on the left pocket of his shirt. After being taken by the Dark Presence, his skin turned pale and his body became covered with darkness. He also carried an axe.
Personality[]
Being a nurse in a psychiatric institution, Birch attempted to remain patient and professional with the patients of the Lodge, as shown when remained calm after Alan Wake insulted him by calling him a "gorilla". Aside from his regular nursing duties, Birch would also carry out questionable task for his employer, which he did not seem to have problem doing.
After becoming a taken, all traces of Birch's humanity and his former self disappeared, leaving only an empty shell at the disposal of the Dark Presence. In this state, like all other taken, Birch only repeated random sentences that he already said when he was alive.
Background[]
Bright Falls AWE[]
After falling into the waters of Cauldron Lake following his encounter the Dark Presence on Mirror Peak, Alan Wake was rescued by Emil Hartman and taken to the Cauldron Lake Lodge in an effort to have Wake under his control. The following day, Barry Wheeler, Wake's literary agent, was contacted by Hartman and told that his client had been taken to the lodge. This was in reality a trap, and Wheeler was captured by Birch and another orderly and locked in an office of the institution's staff wing. After the writer woke up, Hartman, accompanied by Birch in case the Wake reacted violently, attempted to convince him that the recent events he had experienced were the result of hallucinations caused by the death of his wife, Alice, and that he had been a patient on his Lodge for a long time. The doctor then proceeded to give Wake a tour of the Lodge before leaving Wake under the care of Birch while an unnatural thunderstorm began to form over Cauldron Lake. Shortly afterwards, while keeping an eye on the writer, Birch was called by Nurse Sinclair to help her restrain the Anderson Brothers, who were trying cause a distraction in order to give Wake a chance to escape. Much to the orderly's surprise, Thor's plastic hammer somehow turned into a real one and knocked Sinclair unsconcious, forcing Birch to hide in a nearby storage closet, while the brothers continued to taunt him.
Not long after, the Dark Presence began to take over the building. Birch was inevitably engulfed by the evil entity and turned into a Taken. As Wake attempted to escape the lodge, making his way through the hedge maze, he was forced to confront the possessed Birch, alongside a flock of taken birds. The writer was able to kill him and the orderly's body disappeared.[1]
Strategy[]
Birch is much stronger than regular Taken and is protected by a resistant layer of shadows, which the regular flashlight will wear down very slowly. Additionally, he is also accompanied by a flock of taken birds. While Birch generally moves slowly, he will pick up speed quickly when he closer. Due to his strength, he is able to kill the player with only two hits or even one if the birds have already done damage. Due to this, it is recommended to take care of the birds first, while at the same time keeping distance from the taken orderly.
There are flares scattered around the hedge maze that can be used to both provide protection from the birds and weaken Birch's shadows. There is also a First Aid box on the gazebo that contains a flare gun and rounds that can be used for the same purpose. After his shadows are gone, Birch can be killed with a revolver, although it will take more shots than the regular Taken.
Quotes[]
Taken[]
- "You can have the TV on, if you don't fight about the channels".
- "You get three pills in the evening, and you'll sleep like a baby".
- "What are you doing out of bed? Doctor Hartman will be so disappointed".
- "Stop struggling! We're all friends here. This is just part of the therapy".
- "We don't want any fighting. It makes people sad".
- "Doctor Hartman likes things to be nice. That way we don't have any trouble and I don't have to punish anybody".
Trivia[]
- In the Alan Wake novel, Alan witnesses Birch being attacked by the Dark Presence. In this account, the orderly has not hidden in the closet and is seen attempting to flee before stepping into a puddle of liquid darkness released by the Dark Presence and falling to his knees. Wake observes blood coming out of Birch's ears, who seems to be suffering from a terrible headache. Before leaving the man to his fate, Wake also notes that the liquid darkness is slowly covering Birch and overwhelming him, turning him into one of the Taken.